Dr. D. Schreber wrote on Feb 5, 2013, 15:34:They dropped the series cold because they were expecting the Chrono Trigger re-release on the DS to sell really well and it didn't. There was even a story awhile back about someone from Squeenix telling the fanbase that if they really wanted a new game in the series, they should've bought more copies of Chrono Trigger.

Yeah I remember hearing about that, it came off as particularly smarmy and petty. There were a lot of reasons it didn't sell well, not the least of which is that it sat neglected without any brand awareness for a long time and they didn't do shit to market it.

To this day I don't understand why they didn't leak it (That particular remake)How many tens of thousands of hours work lost.... because the guy in charge got cold feet.

Let's not forget Crimson Echoes, the fan interquel made using Chrono Trigger's engine that got a C&D letter like a week before they were going to post it for download.

The people running that company are bugfuck nanners. "TOO MUCH FAN INTEREST STOP IT IMMEDIATELY WAIT WHY IS NO ONE BUYING THE RELEASE OF THE ORIGINAL." And don't even get me started on their whole "We won't remake FF7 because it would be REALLY HARD to make things like towns and the world map work correctly in that old style on the current-gen hardware" nonsense.

Dr. D. Schreber wrote on Feb 5, 2013, 15:34:They dropped the series cold because they were expecting the Chrono Trigger re-release on the DS to sell really well and it didn't. There was even a story awhile back about someone from Squeenix telling the fanbase that if they really wanted a new game in the series, they should've bought more copies of Chrono Trigger.

Yeah I remember hearing about that, it came off as particularly smarmy and petty. There were a lot of reasons it didn't sell well, not the least of which is that it sat neglected without any brand awareness for a long time and they didn't do shit to market it.

Cyanotetyphas wrote on Feb 5, 2013, 15:09:Chrono Cross was a good game in its own right and it build on and adapted the systems in Chrono Trigger for the modern era. But it does seem like they're afraid of the IP. The only references to the original in the game are a guarded reference to Magus and the explanation of the final boss. And why would you make a sequel to a time hopping IP where you are unceremoniously stuck in time? All of which is okay, but then they drop the series cold because they need more time for....FFX-2? Running their MMOs? Does the top brass not even like the game?

Also seconding Vagrant Story. Another boundary pusher that was one and done for some reason. Its hard to find games that have that kind of love invested in every corner.

They dropped the series cold because they were expecting the Chrono Trigger re-release on the DS to sell really well and it didn't. There was even a story awhile back about someone from Squeenix telling the fanbase that if they really wanted a new game in the series, they should've bought more copies of Chrono Trigger.

I remember reading that the plan for Guile in Chrono Cross was for him to be revealed as Magus, but it was dropped at some point. In "Radical Dreamers," the character who turned into Guile turned out to be Magus in the end (it's been a looooooong time since I've read up on any of this but I believe in the Japanese version of Chrono Cross, Guile's name is Alf instead of the original Gil, so there are also a subset of players who think he's Magus' cat Alfador.)

As far as Chrono Cross having very little connection to the original goes, I always thought it was rather genius that this was actually part of the plot. It's like Blood Omen 2; the entire setting and events of the game only exist because of what happened in Chrono Trigger, and that's why you can't find El Nido on the Chrono Trigger world map somewhere near Guardia and Porre where it should be; it didn't exist. Chrono Cross is basically Chrono Trigger's last sidequest; there's no way to help Magus find Schala in Chrono Trigger, and Chrono Cross ties up that loose end.

One bit of fun I had with that... once you've reached the end-game in Chrono Trigger and Gaspar gives you all the remaining sidequests, one of his lines is something akin to "Someone very close to you needs help, find this person, fast!" and he'll never stop saying it like he stops saying the other lines as you finish the quests. I totally bought this as intentional foreshadowing for Chrono Cross for years, like they had to cut out finding Schala and left the line in because they planned to solve it with its own game. Alas, it turned out it was just a really poorly translated line and Gaspar wasn't supposed to be saying anything important.

Yeah Vagrant Story was pretty solid and just needed more polish. I'd rather they put some resources into their offshoot works, The World Ends With You was a great little game but all they've done is make an overpriced iphone port. 6 years of Final Fantasy Versus XIII development but no fucking new FFT game? The DS games were not worthy followups. Speaking of Versus I'm reasonably certain I will have grand children before Versus comes out, assuming it gets released at all.

They're just such a weird company, no real sense that there is any logic, strategy or goals driving them.

Chrono Cross was a good game in its own right and it build on and adapted the systems in Chrono Trigger for the modern era. But it does seem like they're afraid of the IP. The only references to the original in the game are a guarded reference to Magus and the explanation of the final boss. And why would you make a sequel to a time hopping IP where you are unceremoniously stuck in time? All of which is okay, but then they drop the series cold because they need more time for....FFX-2? Running their MMOs? Does the top brass not even like the game?

Also seconding Vagrant Story. Another boundary pusher that was one and done for some reason. Its hard to find games that have that kind of love invested in every corner.

Verno wrote on Feb 5, 2013, 13:56:It's obvious that half the company still wants to make movies and the other half wants to make games, too bad the first half hasn't figured out that they can't make money doing that anymore.

Yeah. They had their chance to be a movie company and blew it big time. I liked a number of visual elements from the Final Fantasy movie, but the characters, dialog and plot were complete garbage. It will still be a few more years, if ever, before I think they can convince the investors that it is worth another go of it. Hopefully next time they just go with something more like "Advent Children". Not spectacular, but solid even if it did require you play FF7 to know what was going on.

I hear you about the iPhone stuff. Even so, I still fell for getting Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. In some ways I'm a little glad that they aren't moving heavy in terms of the old IP because it means they can't depress me with bad releases and they stay good in my memory.

Chrono Cross wasn't as good as Chrono Trigger. FFT: Advanced 1 & 2 were sad when compared to the original in both game play and more so in story. All the successors to Secret of Mana have been garbage, although I think I missed one or two. Maybe they just realized that after a few failed attempts to recapture what made the originals so golden, they should just leave things alone.

The Final Fantasy series is the exception to that, but then again it has always been more a a tech/concept demo series than a coherent progression. Maybe 20 years from now they will release FF: Omega incorporating into it all the good elements from every single FF game ever made and completely blow our minds.... or not.

I'm also sure I have a few ROMs of it lying around my PC as well, but having bought the game three times, I feel I'm entitled to that sin.

I'm not sure a worthy remake could be done anymore though. Even Chrono Cross wasn't as good in my opinion and they still had a good number of the original devs.

Man I won't buy their overpriced iPhone shit but I sure do love me some oldschool Square games. Shame they won't stop just outsourcing them to small companies for DS shit or whatever. It boggles the mind how they could dump a few hundred mil into FF13 and ignore the myriad of good opportunities available to them from old IP. It's obvious that half the company still wants to make movies and the other half wants to make games, too bad the first half hasn't figured out that they can't make money doing that anymore.